


The One with the Coffee Shop AU

by IndelibleSpock



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Christmas, Coffee Shop, Drabbles, Found Family, Holidays, It's only coffee, M/M, Nonsense, Slice of Life, coffee roasting, coffee shop AU, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26694016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndelibleSpock/pseuds/IndelibleSpock
Summary: A collection of one shots based in a coffee shop au. Originally written specifically for National Coffee Day [29 September].Stories are added whenever an idea strikes. Tags will be continuously updated.
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Spock, James T. Kirk/Spock
Comments: 26
Kudos: 30





	1. Glossary

**Author's Note:**

> These surprisingly did not devolve into me bitching about my job lmao

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a glossary of coffee jargon that you'll encounter in these fics. The real stuff starts in chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wonderful user pointed out there there's some technical mumbo jumbo. So in case any of y'all wanna learn some new stuff I've included a glossary for the jargon that appears in these chapters. If I decide to keep adding fics I'll keep this list updated as well.

**Espresso** \- it’s coffee, but it’s finely ground and put into a portafilter (that big handle like object) that clicks into the espresso machine. Then water is forcefully shoved through the grinds. Espresso shots are 1 ounce each.

 **Lungo** \- Long shot. A single long shot is about 2 ounces. Double the amount of a normal shot. This imparts more sediment in the final product because there is more water going through the coffee grounds, making the coffee taste more bitter and bold.

 **Ristretto** \- "Restricted" in Italian. A ristretto shot is about 1/2 ounce. It uses less water which makes the coffee more naturally sweet and acidic. 

**Long Black** \- espresso poured over water. This imparts more flavor of the espresso without the typical bitterness.

 **Americano** \- water poured over espresso. This preserves the bite of the espresso.

 **Cortado** \- Traditionally it’s 2 ounces of espresso with 1-3 ounces of milk (coffee shops vary the meaning of a cortado this is the one I’m familiar with). You’re really just trying to hit a 1:1 ratio with a tiny bit of leeway. The point is to lightly sweeten the espresso and highlight the coffee’s flavor.

 **Milk steaming** \- Aerating the milk is literally adding air to it. You get all these little bubbles! It makes the milk all nice and smooth and velvety. You can control how much air goes in, whether or not the bubbles are big or small. When we talk about the texture of the milk this is pretty much it. It lets you make awesome latte art, flat whites, cappuccinos ect. Try steaming milk to 145-150F, this is where its optimally sweet. Any higher and it just tastes worse and worse, imo.

 **Throwdowns** \- Latte art competitions. Depending on where it’s held, the rules vary. Basically there’s one person steaming milk and pulling shots shots of espresso, your only job is to pour the milk into a work of art. I’m personally fond of baristas who bring in weird as fuck vessels, because why not?

 **Brewed Coffee** \- This is where your coffee makers and pod stuff come in. You've got your automatic Mr. Coffee coffee pots and then there's mechanisms like the V60 and the Moka Pot. I personally think it’s important to know that yes, All Coffee is Coffee, but most all baristas call brewed coffee “coffee” and espresso, “espresso.” The distinction helps when customers ask for an americano vs a cup of coffee.

 **Green Coffee** \- Coffee before its roasted

 **Coffee Tastings** \- Roasters, baristas, coffee buyers, customers, all do this! If you drink a cup of black coffee and say “it tastes like coffee,” good news, you just evaluated a coffee!

We use these terms to evaluate -

  * **Aroma** \- What does it smell like?
  * **Acidity** \- Does it tingle on your tongue like a lemon or an orange? Or does it linger on the back of your throat?
  * **Body (Mouthfeel)** \- Does it feel creamy? Heavy? Or does it feel like a light feather in the mouth?
  * **Taste** \- What does it actually taste like? Lots of coffee tastes like spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), but there’s also plenty of coffees with notes like berries and wine to more savory flavors like mushrooms and tomatoes.



**Cupping** \- Cupping is how coffee roasters profile the coffee they want to sell. It's also used to evaluate the quality of the coffee farmers are selling to buyers. They add a bit of coffee to big bowl-like cups, then the right amount of water. Think of it as a very rudimentary French Press without a filter. They taste the coffee and evaluate it. And no they don’t drink it. There’s lots of spitting involved and yes they get very very good at aiming their spit.

 **Pour over** \- A method of brewing coffee. Imagine your coffee maker at home. The same concept but it’s done by hand and typically yields one serving at a time. You are POURING water OVER the coffee grounds.

When baristas make a pour over there’s a process to it. Just like baking, there’s recipes! A barista will look for these things while making one:

  * **Dose** \- think of a dose of medicine. We weigh out the beans in grams and then grind them. Our dose of beans is how we figure out how much coffee we're going to make. A typical ratio is 1:16. So take the amount of beans you just ground and multiply it by 16. That's how many grams of water you're going to use for your pour over.
  * **Wet the filter** \- We’re gonna pour some hot water into our dripper in which the paper filter sits. This warms up the whole vessel.
  * **Grind** \- grinding the coffee to the right consistency is important. Think of the coffee like sand. Pouring water through rocks goes a lot faster than pouring water through sand. A recipe will specify how small or large your coffee grinds need to be.
  * **Bloom** \- Coffee is gaseous! It throws off carbon dioxide well after its been roasted. So when we pour water over these grounds it will literally bloom up and bubble.
  * **Drawdown** \- This is when the coffee drips into your vessel. The slurry in your dripper is drawing down the sides
  * **Swirl and enjoy** \- Your coffee is sitting in its carafe. Swirl it around. Look at it in the light! Coffee really isn’t just brown. Depending where it grew, the coffee can be a deep deep golden yellow, beautiful red, a subtle warm orange.



**V60** \- A Japanese pour over dripper invented 15 years ago by Hario. It’s a cone shape, a V with 60 degree walls. It is a popular dripper in specialty coffee shops.

 **Aeropress** \- a coffee brewing vessel created by Alan Alder who really just wanted a good cup of coffee. You put a bit of coffee in a tube-like thing, then some water then you plunge it down. The original recipe that comes in the box takes a minute (literally) and actually does produce amazing coffee. There’s world championship competitions for it now and weird wacky recipes for them.

  * Standard Method - The standard Aeropress method means you brew the coffee with the filter towards the ground. It allows for quick brewing.
  * Inverted Method - Let's flip the thing upside down. Let's take risks! Do you like potentially spilling 200 degree water all over the counter and yourself? This is the method for you. It lets you brew for longer periods of time. 



**French Press** \- Invented originally by two Frenchmen in 1852. The style we know of today came around in the 1950s. It's also known as a cafetiere. It's a big ole glass vessel in which you fully immerse coffee grounds and brew for 4 minutes. After the 4 minutes you press the plunger. This style yields a fuller bodied cup of coffee, because there's nothing standing between the grounds themselves and the water. A barista may use this method for a standard coffee tasting because it is a well-rounded cup o' joe. 

**Frankenstein coffee** \- Go ahead. Get a bunch of random coffee. Don't worry about it. Mix it together and brew it! It's probably as monstrous as Frankenstein himself. Awful and demented. Why would you want to do this to coffee? Sometimes this can be fun when you have small amounts of different coffees that aren't enough for a full cup until you combine them.


	2. The One Where it's Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's slow. Jim oogles a customer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally love when it's slow because it lets me experiment.

“It’s so slooooooow.” Jim planted his forehead onto the counter. He pulled out his phone. There’s bound to be some entertainment on twitter.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Racist bot.

Nothing.

“Maybe I should try some of that new stuff we got in.”

He weighed the beans, set the grinder to the right setting. An aeropress will do for this one. The roaster said he was gonna taste plums. He didn’t even like plums. Plums. Maybe some baking chocolate. Brown sugar.

Maybe some cream can make it taste like a cobbler or something.

Pour, swirl, stir, plunge. He didn’t have the patience for the inverted method. And if a customer came in, it would have been ruined anyway.

At least it smelled amazing. Berry, a bit of earthiness. It was a medium roast.

The bell of the door sounded.

FINALLY. And without a ruined cup either.

“Is your seating open?”

Jim looked up from his cup. “Yeah. Been open for a while now. Rain is just keeping everyone home.

The customer nodded. He set his computer bag down on the counter near the window. He returned to the register.

“What do you use for your espresso?”

“Normally we use a blend of Kenya and Costa Rica. You’ll get a bit of acid but the Costa Rica balances it out pretty well. Mixes with all sorts of flavors well too. However, I can use pretty much whatever we’re selling. I had the time to dial it all in today.”

“Because it’s slow?”

Jim nodded.

“I suppose I’ll have a long black then.”

Jim tendered him out. Before he got to making the beverage he took a sip of his own coffee.

Yep. Plums. Needs cream.

He glanced at the customer. Black hair, dripping from the rain. He didn’t look prepared for the weather. No umbrella. To think a Vulcan wouldn’t wear a hood.

His shoes are immaculately shiny.

The veins in his hands as he types.

Jesus Christ Jim, just fucking pour the shots over the water.

Jim brought the cup over. “Do you need anything to go with this?”

He shook his head.

Jim went back to his stool behind the register. The coffee did taste better with cream. He’ll have to note that for a recommendation.

Another glance at him.

Strong shoulders.

How he hooks his foot under the cross bars of the stool.

Wonder what he does.

Probably a lawyer or some shit. Vulcans were good lawyers.

* * *

Wednesday.

“Hey Jim, you’re lead today.”

“What?”

“You’re lead.”

He rolled up his sleeves, he tied his apron. He hated being lead barista, because it never gave him time to bounce around the cafe and chat. And ever since that Vulcan came in, he’s been making sure he had free time to bus tables. Just for the off chance that he encountered him again.

“Your milk needs a little work,” Jim mumbled. His coworker, Gavin, had been steaming for him to get through this long line.

“You’re gonna choose now to bitch about my steaming?”

“Why not.”

Jim produced a four-layer tulip. He wasn’t happy with it, but the customer wouldn’t know. It was all the same.

“The texture is off.”

Except for this customer.

Jim looked up from the cappuccino he was pouring. It was the Vulcan.

“Yup.”

“A little more aeration.”

“See, Gavin? I told you. Work on it.”

The line was gone. The cafe calm once more with studiers. Jim found the Vulcan sitting at his window-side table. Still typing, a deep concentration on his face.

“I took the liberty of remaking your latte.” Jim set the cup down. Heart, with an arrow. Maybe it was too bold of a statement, but Jim couldn’t stop thinking about him.

The Vulcan stopped his typing. He inspected the drink. “Thank you, er your name?”

“James, er, Jim, uh, or ‘hey you’ works too.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, gripping all the pens and sharpies as hard as he could.

“Thank you, Jim. I’m Spock.”


	3. The One With a Cupping Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim is new. Jim wasn't expecting this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love cupping sessions. There needs to be more sexualized cupping sessions on the internet.

“Hi!” Jim waved as he approached the counter. “Um this is Atlas Roasters, right?”

The person at the front desk nodded. “What can I help ya with?”

“Oh well I’m Jim. Jim Kirk. I’m the new roasting apprentice.”

“Oooo sweet! We’ve been totally excited about you!” The person bounced their way around the desk. “I’m Kyrie. I do reception stuff but I also help in our tasting room.”

“Tasting room?”

“Yeah! So we’ve got the back entrance, which is where we are. It’s all the roasting stuff. The Front entrance is a coffee shop. Limited though, we really only serve drip, espresso, and lattes. Just so people can really taste what we’re roasting here.”

Jim followed Kyrie down the hallway. She pointed to some rooms where green coffee was stored, where the cupping room was and where the actual roasting happened.

“We’ve got about a team of ten people here. Sometimes the baristas from our shops across town come and chill with us. But yeah, just us up here. Our master roaster is in today too.”

“Yeah I heard about him when I was working barista gigs.” Jim reflected on the throw downs he’d been to. There was always talk about the Atlas Roaster showing up, but he never knew if he did.

“Dude, I’m so glad you said that. We can always use more roasters that pour around here.”

“Oh trust me, I’ve had my share of bragging rights up and down the west coast.”

Kyrie opened the door, the smell of coffee wafted through. About time. Jim felt at home.

“Hey Spock! Your apprentice is here!”

He looked up from his graphs. “Very well. I’m Spock.” He held out his hand. “And you’re Jim correct?”

They shook hands. For the life of him, Jim thought Vulcans were super heated. This one felt normal.

“Yeah. Jim. I’m stoked to start learning. I’m especially blessed to learn from someone like yourself. I love all the coffee you produce. When I saw that your Sidama scored a 98, I was so quick to buy it.”

Spock nodded. “That one was a particular favorite of mine. Very wine-like.”

“Really deep deep notes of blackberry.” Jim smiled. “Oh man I miss it so much.”

“Then you will like what we’re producing next.”

Spock pulled out a large binder. He flipped through the contents. “Every coffee we roast has its own binder. It has its own roasting graphs, cupping results, profiles of the entire process. I have a buyer who notes down everything about the coffee’s process from farm to cup.”

“Oh so a coffee scrapbook.”

“Precisely.”

He let Jim flip through the pages. He didn’t understand a lot of the information being given, but that would come. Right now he was enamored with the organization.

“Shall I set up a cupping table for us?”

“Uh, if you show me how to cup. I did it a few times, but—“

Spock nodded. “Of course. That’s why you’re here.”

The Vulcan led Jim to the cupping room. He grabbed five cups for himself and five for Jim. He lined either side of the table, so each of them would have room to go at their own pace.

“We’ll walk through the process first. You will not be held fully accountable. The coffee we’re going to cup is perfected for sale. You do know how to grind for cupping purposes?”

Jim nodded. He followed the procedures. Weighing the whole beans, weighing them again before putting the grounds into the cups. All ten cups were filled.

“Water is poured to the very top. The first thing to evaluate is the aroma.” Spock bent forward with his hands behind his back. Jim joined.

Yet Jim was entirely focused on the heat radiating off Spock’s neck.

“The first smell. Then we take a spoon.” He motioned for Jim to grab the cupping spoon and held his hand with the most delicate touch. While Spock explained how to further evaluate the aroma, he took Jim’s hands through the motions.

“Break the crust a couple of times. There needs to be only a slight agitation. Too much and you’ll introduce too many variables for a proper tasting. Be gentle.”

_Be gentle. Be he says as he’s gently caressing me over a table._

“Mr. Spock?”

“Hmm?”

“C-can we pour the water in now? I do remember there should be a limited amount of time between grinding and infusion.”

Spock let go. He grabbed the kettle and filled the cups. Jim held on to his spoon, his knuckles turning white. So maybe he thought the Vulcan was pretty. It wasn’t enough that he was a master roaster, a multi-award winning master roaster. It definitely wasn’t enough that he was a barista champion. Jim could have been just fine admiring his teacher based on skill alone.

But then he had to do that.


	4. The One With Milk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock lectures Jim. Don't be Jim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This actually happened to me, so uh.
> 
> STOP WASTING MILK

“Jim.”

He was washing dishes. A chore he hated, but somehow always ended up doing towards the end of the day. He’d rather mop.

“Yeah, Spock? What’s up?”

“3 gallons of whole milk.”

“Excuse me?”

“Based on the hours and positions you’ve worked, I calculated that you alone have wasted 3 gallons of milk.”

Jim stopped his dish washing. He wiped his hands dry.

“You calculated? Why the hell would you get so specific?”

Spock directed Jim to the espresso machine. “Make me a cortado.”

“What for?” Jim complied with the request though. It had been a while since Spock watched him make drinks. It wasn’t since Jim was new that his manager breathed down his neck about getting everything correct. While he was happy for it (he was a damn good barista), the stress wasn’t needed.

“Stop.”

Jim was only able to pour a drop of milk into the pitcher. “What? What did I do?”

“There’s a reason why there are measurements on the inside of the steaming pitchers. 2 ounces of milk is in a cortado, correct?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then compensate for the aeration required of a cortado and use the correct amount in milliliters.”

He begrudgingly did as he was told. The right measurements. Properly aerating and stretching the milk. His dose of espresso was tamped and pulled correctly. Spock had no issue with it.

Jim poured a simple heart into the 5 ounce glass.

Spock nodded his approval.

“Stop wasting my milk.”


	5. The One With Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim, please just put their correct name on the cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is currently happening at my store. And let me tell you guys, it works.

“What should his name be today?”

Jim inched over to his coworker, Alison.

She looked up from the tea she was brewing. “Omg, you’re still on that?”

“I need more nicknames. So yeah I’m still on that.”

“Why don’t you just write Spock? His actual name, dude?”

Jim considered. Surely Spock would have asked him to stop if he took issue with it. The past month Jim had chosen puns for his customer’s name. It started as a joke, because one of his coworkers accidentally spelled it wrong, but Jim took it as a challenge.

He also totally wasn’t using it as an excuse to spark up conversations with him to flirt at any given chance. Nope. Not at all.

“Okay wait, how about Spook?”

“Save that for Halloween.”

“Spocktaneous Combustion?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Spockasaurous!”

“Just give me the cup so I can make his drink.”

He pulled the cup away once more. “Okay, okay!” He scrawled on the cup and placed it next to the espresso machine. “Alison, I need you to do me a huge favor. Please read it out. Please. I need you to do this for me.”

She read the text. “Really?”

Jim pouted. “Please.”

The milk aerated, the shots poured. Alison stacked a few hearts. She set the cup on the hand-off plane.

“Spock, will you go on a date with Jim,” she called.


	6. The One With a New Manager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim recently took over a coffee shop. Spock isn't entirely there for it.

Ever since Jim filled the manager vacancy he’s gotten weird vibes from Spock. Everyone agreed, he should have been the one that got a promotion, yet the owners chose Jim.

Jim didn’t change much. Maybe there was some reorganization of inventory and updates on quality standards, but when he observed the business he didn’t see much that needed change. He was there to manage and cheer on his team. He didn’t want to sink a successful shop.

Yet Spock started to avoid Jim after two months. He’d show up to his shifts but rarely say a word to him. The same shift Jim noticed Spock would have full conversations with the other baristas. Maybe he just doesn’t have anything to share, Jim thought. Maybe we don’t have common ground.

It wasn’t an issue. It really wasn’t. Jim could work around a barista who didn’t like to talk to him. He’s seen it before. Just keep the relationship professional and don’t try to force camaraderie. Over the months, it got harder. Spock was after all the senior most barista in the shop. He functioned much like an assistant manager when Jim wasn’t there. Jim had to discuss business with him, but attempting to was met with simple nods and no real feedback.

Okay he could still work with that. Writing out to-do lists. That’s not hard.

Not until someone called in sick. Not until no one else was able to come in on their day off. That’s fine. That was another function of Jim’s job. Living and breathing the shop. Who needed work/life balance anyway?

It was just going to be him and Spock working this day. Sundays were always slow. A third person normally was in, but today Jim and Spock had to function as four. Their so-called professional relationship got in the way.

The usual routine. Finish ringing people up and prep milk, and weigh out flavors and other ingredients. Spock would be the one putting all the drinks together. Normally when this happened the baristas would chat with each other, they’d chat with customers waiting in line to order. The vibe would be calm and chill despite the fact they were 10 drinks deep with mobile orders coming in.

Spock was dead silent. Jim was trying to make conversation with him, with anyone.

Completely unreciprocated.

Jim stared into the whirlpool of milk. “I gotta talk to him about this. This isn’t working out. This is madness! I specifically changed the music for a good vibe and it still feels like I’m doing everything in deafening silence! For fuck’s sake has he been getting customers to turn on me? There’s Jack and Shannon, normally they’re chatter boxes, today? What the hell is going on!”

He tried his best not to let it show. That was always the hardest. Trying to keep everything positive when you’re being sucked into your own disturbing dark thoughts. It is after all, only coffee.

The line finally ended, the beverages were finally made. There was nothing left to do but to reassess their inventory.

“Jim?”

Spock was wiping down the counters, stopping as a thought came to him.

“What?”

“I couldn’t help but notice—“

“How all THAT felt completely hostile? How the tension felt like a thick smoke choking and ruining everything?”

Spock nodded.

Jim sighed. He didn’t want to discuss it out in view of their guests. He’d have to wait until closing.

“I’m gonna grab some more milk. We’ll talk about it later.”

“I think in the future, we shouldn’t work on the floor together.”

Spock clasped his hands together. He was reviewing their closing tasks while Jim was balancing the cash.

“Today was miserable, Spock. I hate going total boss on you, but you could have easily made the situation better if you just dropped whatever the hell it is you have against me.”

“That’s the thing. I have nothing against you.”

“Then what is it? Why is it whenever I try to be nice to you your response is distant. You’ve not once actually made me feel welcome since I was hired here. I get it, everyone thought you were gonna get promoted and then you didn’t. But you can just tell me? I have no issues with you being second in charge here. You’re great for it! What I’m having an issue with is your attitude.”

“You were at the Northside Throwdown last year, weren’t you?”

Jim looked up from his till. “Yeah. Friends forced me. I took first.”

“I took third.”

Spock continued his tasks. Fixing furniture, precisely lining up bags of coffee on the shelves so they were presentable. He was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say.

“I’m not telling you that I hate coming in next to you. I saw all of your pours. I even scoffed when you took out a sample cup as a vessel. You were very…entitled. At least that’s what it seemed.”

“You’re calling me an asshole?”

“I uh … no.” Spock stopped in front of Jim, taking in his hair, his eyes, the way his rolled up sleeves were still soaked with water. “I’m trying to tell you I have a distant admiration of you.”

Jim didn’t respond, he had to make sure all the money was in order before he got distracted with whatever the hell Spock just said to him. Distant admiration? A fan? All he did was make coffee and make it well, he didn’t think that deserved any fans.

They stood on the sidewalk just after double checking the door was locked. Jim had a bunch of errands to run before everyone started closing for the night.

“What does distant admiration mean?”

“I like you.”

Spock turned on his heel. He was going to leave it at that. There wasn’t an explanation for his feelings. He just liked Jim and that was it. He was happy, cheerful, he pushed everyone to do their best and did the same for himself. In Spock’s opinion he was the perfect manager for their shop.

“Spock, hold up.”

Errands could wait.

Jim caught up to him. Of course he finally recognized Spock. He would always come in third during latte art competitions, but he’d always come out on top when it came to brewing. Jim wasn’t in the competition scene he didn’t care much for it. But in this city, Spock was the best.

“You do not want to crush on me,” Jim sighed, “I’m a fucking mess. I can be a hotshot all I want while pouring milk, and I can keep a business running. But my personal life is a wreck. Don’t bother.”

“Why do you think I’ve been trying not to engage with you unless I have to?” Spock pulled out his phone, a text from Nyota. “Jim, I might as well ask otherwise you could slap me with a sexual harassment claim. Would you be opposed to flirtatious jests?”

At least he asked. Jim never thought anyone would ask for permission. A flirtatious jest? Sass but romantically driven. If anything it could be played off as a joke. Truth be told, Jim enjoyed being in Spock’s presence.

“Don’t over do it,” Jim kissed Spock on the cheek before walking away.


	7. The One With a Coffee Recipe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Spock making coffee while thinking about screwing the captain? Or is he screwing the captain and trying not to give in so he thinks about brewing coffee?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my go-to recipe for V60. Never fails and always yields the perfect cup. And yes I have thought about Spirk while brewing coffee.

**Weigh 20 grams of whole bean coffee.**

Lacing their fingers. Intertwining their minds. It was happening all so fast.

**2 scoops. The clatter of the beans hitting the metal container on the scale.**

He came in shirtless again. Asking about duty rosters. Wondering when the next schedules would be finalized to send out to everyone. He didn’t mean anything by it, he was off duty. At least as much as a captain could be.

**2.4 on the hand-grinder. It’ll hold all 20 grams.**

But he didn’t have to ask shirtless. Of course, he didn’t need to reciprocate the advances. The pads of his fingers dancing along his collar bone. Trickling up the neck, finding ever so easily those points of contact. He consented with no fear. He fell forward into a deep desperate kiss.

**Wet the filter. Don’t impart the papery taste. Heat the vessel. It’ll be no good with temperature variances.**

He never knew Jim Kirk was such a deeply pained human. Yet every bit of his heart poured through that kiss. There couldn’t be more to him. Impossible.

**Lay the grinds flat. Bloom it. 40 grams of water will do. Just enough. Just enough to wet them. Let the gasses escape. 30 seconds.**

He was tired. Exhausted. A diplomacy mission gone wrong. Meetings that wore him down. He didn’t take days off. He just didn’t. He didn’t pull his first officer down on top of him either. He was a man of respect. He didn’t do these things. He didn’t give in to his desires.

**The first pour. 2/3 of the total output. Swirl in and out. Create Van Gogh’s Starry Night in the slurry.**

The groans surprised him. He needed more. He wanted more. More than just kissing. More than just play. Entangle every limb. Stare into those beautiful hazel eyes. They’re so human. So beautifully complex.

**Last 1/3. 320 grams. Swirl. Keep the slurry moving. Avoid channeling. Everything needs to be extracted properly. The drawdown is the calm before the reward.**

He has beads of sweat on his forehead. He’s so close. Close to finally having what he wanted. He can’t keep waiting forever.

**3:28. Finish. Remove the dripper. Swirl the liquid. Look at the deep red color in the light. It’s not just brown, coffee is never ‘just brown.’ Smell the aroma. Chocolate. Cinnamon.**

His smile is beyond understanding. Describing it with words would ruin it. He’s enjoying the sensations. He’s gripping so tight waiting for his prize. Stop making him wait.

**Sip. Let it wash over your tongue. Where does it dance? Where does it sit? Do you taste it? The orange trickling all over the mouth. A sweet sense of candy followed by the bold hit of nutmeg. It lingers. It lingers but there’s more to enjoy. The second taste, that’s where it really comes out. Bright acid coalescing into a deep chocolate finish.**

He gets his taste. He moans his pleasures. He latches on so tight not wanting to let go. It has to last. It can’t be this short. It has to keep going.


	8. The One With a Karen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim gets assaulted. Spock helps out.

It’s only coffee. Like really. If you get so upset about someone accidentally giving you another pump of syrup in your no-foam nonfat latte then you need to go to a therapist, Karen.

That was the nicest thing Jim could think. The bitch threw 190 degree milk at him. Now he was sitting in a customer’s car being driven to urgent care because the burns started blistering.

“You didn’t need to drop everything to drive me. I could have gotten there myself.”

Spock saw the whole thing happen from his seat. The woman was distracting him from writing down a source in his works cited. He looked up to see what was happening at the hand-off counter.

She was yelling at how inconsiderate Jim was being. How stupid he was not to know how to count properly. Maybe Jim should go back to school (joke’s on her he was a Master’s student). She finally threw the coffee at him. It splattered all over his face and down his neck.

Spock grabbed the woman by the arm as she was storming out. It was assault. He wasn’t going to let her walk out of this shop without being arrested. Jim was great barista, a great classmate.

He gave his statement. They actually arrested her when Jim came back out and the officer clearly saw the injuries. Bitch deserved charges. Spock offered to get Jim to a doctor’s office, it was the least he could do.

“You probably could have, but in light of everything I might as well make sure you’re okay.”

“Who the fuck throws coffee anyway?”

“I’m curious what’s going on in her personal life. That reaction is a sign of something.” He glanced over at Jim, visibly in pain. The worst part of a widespread burn, you can’t really do much for it at home once it starts to blister. A trip to the doctor was the only choice.

“How does it feel?”

“It fucking hurts.” He sniffled. “I’m on the verge of crying.”

“Please don’t let my presence stop you.”

* * *

A nurse walked into the waiting room. She approached Spock and sat next to him.

“You’re the one who brought him in?”

A nod.

“Well, he’s doing alright. Just shaken up. I just have to get some more information from you if that’s alright. Workplace incidents plus criminal incidents force us to be a little bit more strict and professional with our bedside manner.”

The information was taken down, they released Jim into Spock’s care. At least with the promise of getting him home safely.

“They loaded me up on pain killers. Thank god.” Jim looked in the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of what it looked like. Red inflammation spotted his forehead, a blister underneath the right eye, the eye itself was red. His entire neck was red too. “Holy shit.”

“You’ll have to give me directions.”

Spock had only been to Jim’s place once. A short stop to drop off a book that they were using for a class. Ever since, Spock tried to be more friendly towards him. He discovered he worked at the cafe by accident. A chilly morning, and Spock wanting a tea. Jim was surprised to see Spock standing in line.

He kept returning to the cafe to work on his thesis. Always hearing Jim behind the bar cracking jokes, while slinging coffee like it was nothing. Yet when Spock heard Jim explain to a customer what he was working on in university he knew that Jim was worth getting to know. Acquaintanceship. Friends. Perhaps more.

“You can come in if you want,” Jim unlocked his door, hoping Spock would say yes. “I uh, actually don’t really want to be alone right now.”

“Of course.”

Jim dropped all his things on his dining table. “I know you won’t, because who does when they go to someone’s place for the first time, but uh make yourself at home.” He chuckled, some tears were returning to his eyes. What a fucking awful day. “I’m gonna make some coffee. I need it.”

“Jim, how about you stop being a barista for one moment and let me make you some coffee?”

“I don’t want to be that guy, but do you know how?”

“I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing.”

Jim gathered everything Spock needed to make a French press. He lingered next to Spock, trying to gauge what else he needed. He powered on his electric kettle, 195 degrees. If only I could pour that water on your face you dumb fucking bitch.

“I don’t have an electric grinder here. So move the dial 4 clicks to the right. The scale is sitting right next to the kettle. Tare it when you put the measuring vessel on it.”

“Jim, I have degrees in multiple sciences, I know how a scale works.” He did just as Jim told him. “Go sit down.”

Jim sighed, he took a spot at his dining table. “You know how a French press works?”

“Believe it or not, I know how to make a French press.”

He watched Spock go through the process. Every time Jim was about to tell him to do something, he did it. In fact, it was like watching a scientist working through the scientific method. Okay so Spock did know what he was doing, shut up and let someone else take care of you for once.

“Siri, set a 4-minute timer,” he set his phone down next to the press. “Where are your cups?”

“Cupboard above you.”

He grabbed matching cups and filled them with hot water. “I hope you approved of everything I did?”

Despite the pain, Jim laughed. He truly needed to tone down the coffee snobbery some days. “I still need to judge you on how you press the coffee,” he joked.

“And what are we drinking this afternoon?”

“Guatemala, I forgot exactly what part though. A friend sent it so me. Expect some hints of dark chocolate and brown sugar.”

Spock pressed the coffee. He poured the two cups and sat across from Jim. “At least a bit of the redness on your face is dissipating.”

They took their first sips. Spock was pleased with Jim’s reaction; a smile and noticeable relief from his stress.

“A good cup of coffee, Spock. Thank you.” Tears welled up in his eyes again. How many times now? “I hope I didn’t take you away from anything important. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Not a problem. I’m thankful it didn’t turn out worse. If you want, we can remove the assault and the trip to the urgent care, but I would enjoy more of these coffee sessions.”

Spock was sincere in his declaration. Jim was sincere in his response. The two looked away when they both realized they were staring for too long.

“I’d enjoy that a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the very real story of seeing my boss get assaulted. Also inspired by the time I got hit by a car on my way to work (during the total eclipse AND by a customer, fml) and the only person I could think of calling was my own boss. She took care of me even though she had her own meetings that day. 
> 
> Be kind to your baristas, friends.


	9. The One Where Jim Goes Grocery Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The empty isles of the grocery store invites conversation

Which was the better deal? 3 for 5 or the single larger one for 5.59? Jim wrestled with the options. Maybe he should stop grocery shopping after work. His brain was always fuzzy. Then again he liked shopping at 9 at night, no one was there to irritate him and the girl at the express checkout was cute.

Another customer entered the same isle. He stood near Jim, but appropriately keeping his distance. He couldn’t help but glance at the other man, who Jim was sure was looking at the same sale. Black hair, tall, were his ears actually pointed? He’s seen the body mods before, never in real life though.

The smell that came from him threw Jim far away from the grocery store isle. Coffee. Perfectly roasted coffee. Shit it was a good smell. It matched him. Did they make cologne that smelled like coffee now?

Jim narrowed his eyes.

_Dude. Stop being a fucking creep._

“Fuck I need to buy coffee,” he muttered under his breath.

The other customer slightly turned his head. “The shop I work at is having a sale. Valor Coffee on third.”

Jim looked at him. “So is that how you sell shit, you walk around smelling like coffee hoping to lure in customers?”

“I might have to incorporate it into the business model. Happens too often.”

They both turned back to the products on the shelf.

“3 for 5, or one large for 5.59,” Jim asked. Couldn’t hurt to get an opinion.

“Both options are compelling. I’m afraid I’m struggling here too.”

Jim frowned, again staring intently at the labels.

“Is Valor Coffee new? Haven’t heard of them.”

“Opened 6 months ago.”

“I’ll check you guys out.” He grabbed three and sped down the isle. Jim wasn’t intending on fantasizing about a random guy from the grocery store tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I frequently grocery shop after work. Which means that my hair, my clothes, and my bag all smell like coffee. My arms are stained with coffee. My shirt probably has whipped cream on it. I think one time I walked in with mocha all over my face. The grocery store workers got used to it. 
> 
> The one thing they loved though was how I'd walk down the isles and make them all smell like coffee. 
> 
> Late night grocery shopping is rad.


	10. The One Where Baristas Moan about Drink Orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a universe where there's a fully functional coffee shop on The Enterprise. Janice Rand asks a very important question.

“Okay, I’ve got a question for you guys.” Janice leaned on the counter while she waited for her order. “Who is the worst person to serve on this ship?”

Everyone looked at Janice. This was a discussion that they’ve all had multiple times.

“None of us can actually agree on the worst person,” Arla commented. She was the one who was making beverages today. When Janice showed up, she knew exactly who they were making drinks for. “No doubt though, everyone hates the bridge crew.”

All of them nodded and verbally agreed.

“The entire bridge crew,” Janice smirked. “Please. Please share.”

Janice loved gossip. She loved seeing how outsiders perceived the senior staff. Not that their impressions were entirely wrong, but it made serving as yeoman a lot more entertaining.

“Let’s run through this particular order,” she placed the completed beverage into a drink tray. “A large quad lungo white chocolate mocha with extra whipped cream and cocoa powder.”

“Yeah that’s Kirk’s.”

“DID YOU PUT EXTRA WHIPPED CREAM ON THAT,” Jaxon called from across the shop, a perfect Kirk impression. He even added finger guns for extra flair.

“Every fucking time,” Arla frowned. “I hate it when he shows up cause he’s like staring me down making sure that it’s lungo shots I’m pulling. And then if I don’t specifically leave 2 inches of room for whipped cream he purses his lips and folds his arms. It’s like he totally wants to go ‘I’m your captain you should be getting my shit right.’”

Janice laughed. “No way.”

Arla held up another cup. “Who’s the one who hates it when Uhura comes in?”

“I like to leave the floor when she shows up,” Addison raised her hand. “Is that her stupid cold brew drink?”

Arla nodded. “You wanna make it,” she joked.

Addison shuddered. The last time she made Uhura’s drink, the communications officer nearly bit her head off. “Uhura doesn’t like it when you swirl her cream into her cold brew. And it has to be exactly one ounce. She SWEARS she can tell if there’s more or less. Like dude, then get your own fucking cream from the mess hall and do it yourself.”

Janice threw her head back. “Ahahaha, I’m loving this.”

“Can I complain about Spock’s,” Jaxon meandered over.

“Oh no,” Janice bit her lip.

“I have never in my life hated nonfat milk so much until I was told what to make for Commander Spock.” Jaxon walked behind the bar. His cups were sitting next in line to complete. Unfortunately Jaxon was one of the very few baristas Spock entrusted to make his order correctly.

“Get ready Janice, this is obscene.” Jaxon poured three pitchers full of nonfat milk. He started to steam.

“Spock comes in when it’s super busy. His timing is piss poor.” Arla prepared the rest of Spock’s order. “It’s an americano. Literally just coffee and water, but he turns it into this fucking shitstorm of wasted milk.”

“Wait, I thought he was vegan,” Janice tilted her head.

The baristas laughed.

Jaxon cleared his throat and stood stiff straight. Still steaming milk, mind you. “I require one 24 ounce americano. 19 second shots of espresso. 2 sugars in the raw. I also need precisely 1 and 3/4 extremely dry nonfat foam on top of the liquid. It must retain its consistency during my walk from this shop to the bridge. I also need two 16 ounce cups of the same nonfat foam. Again it must retain its consistency.”

“Jaxon,” Janice beamed, “your impression of Mr. Spock is scary good.”

“Thanks! I hate it.”

Janice watched Arla pull the shots and incorporate the raw sugar. She watched the poor girl pull out an actual pocket ruler to measure the room for the foam. The two baristas spooned the foam like it was ice cream, on top of the americano and then into two separate cups.

“Okay seriously, what the fuck.” Janice laughed.

“You would think Spock would stick to like a fucking shot of espresso or a cortado or something,” Jaxon mused. He pulled another cup to read the writing. “Oh god, Sulu.”

“Sulu is the kind of guy that needs to get his shit straight at the register. I’m not fucking giving him extra crap. I’m sorry but fucker needs to figure out what he wants.” Addison dropped a box of honey on the counter. She actually looked genuinely upset. “I don’t get it, if you want extra fucking matcha then why don’t you order it? Like every single time, I ask if he wants extra and he shakes his head, then he comes up to whoever made it and asks for more. And it’s not just his matcha latte either!”

“He did it with a mocha too,” Jaxon nodded. “Oh hey can I get more drizzle? Oh do you have those candy sprinkles? Can I get some of those too? Oh maybe can I please get this extra sweet?”

“Next time,” Addison steepled her fingers, “I am going to tell him no. And I am going to enjoy every bit of it.”

“You know who I actually like making drinks for,” Arla smiled. “Scotty.”

“SCOTTY,” everyone shouted with joy.

“I miss him! He’s been so busy lately, he doesn’t come in!”

“I miss it when he brings us goodies.”

“Aww, Scotty is such a sweetie. He saw me walking down on deck 3 and he stopped me to tell me how much he misses dropping by all the time.”

Jaxon placed the last of the drinks into the drink tray. “Janice, tell Scotty we miss him. Tell him there’s a special roast of coffee just for him. We picked it up on our last space dock.”

“Okay, but what does Scotty get?”

“A cup of dark roast.”

Janice held the tray of drinks, “that’s what Doctor McCoy gets but I don’t hear you cheer his name.”

“Doctor McCoy grumbles too much,” Arla declared.

“At least Scotty comes in and yells ‘laddies! It’s a good day for a cuppa Joe’ from my favorite human beings!” Addison smiled. “Please Janice. Convince him to visit!”

Janice nodded. “Okay, I’ll talk to him. In the meantime, I need you guys to work on your impressions because I’m all for this kinda shit.”

“We love them though,” Arla sighed. “They’ve all got their quirks, but they’re all super cool. Captain tipped us in brandy last month.”

“Spock approved extra shore leave for all of us,” Addison added.

“Just don’t get us talking about their coffee orders before they give us orders, cause sometimes I too often think of insubordination,” Jaxon laughed.

There was a chime through the intercom, in which Janice answered. Kirk was on the other end.

“Hey Janice? Did you make sure there was extra whipped cream on my drink?”

The baristas eyes widened in despair as Janice only laughed in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These orders are all real and they're all based on real people. The steamed nonfat foam still haunts me to this day and I haven't made that drink in years. 
> 
> I personally love the customers who have stupid fucking drink orders but they're the coolest people ever. "I hate your beverage, but damn I'd hang out with you on a chill sunday.


	11. The One With a New Shutdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You gotta entertain yourself somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Current events AU. You could imply an established relationship in this if you want. I think it's cute if read that way.

“You brought your laptop today,” Spock noted as he was walking into the shop. He was set to close with Jim that evening.

Jim barely looked up at him. He mumbled, still focusing on the laptop screen.

“I take it, it hasn’t been busy.”

“Slow.”

Spock hung his coat on the hanger. He expected it to be slow. Yet another shutdown. Yet another 4 weeks with little to no customers coming in. He didn’t blame Jim for wanting to entertain himself.

“At least stay off social,” Spock requested.

Jim gave him a thumbs up. “Reading actually.”

“What are you reading?” Spock had brought his own book. Another one of their coworkers suggested it. It wasn’t typically in line with his beliefs, but the way their coworker described the outlandish conspiracy theory about psychedelics and the evolution of the human brain intrigued him. It was after all 2020, why not read something ridiculous?

“Er, nothing important.” Jim closed his laptop. “I’ll make you a drink if you want to chill before clocking on.”

“Just brewed coffee and some cream is fine,” Spock pulled out his book and placed it on the counter. “Concerned though. If people look in here and see me sitting down.”

“No one is going to report you,” Jim poured him the cup of coffee. “And if it comes down to someone getting pissy, I’ll run ‘em out. You work here, you’re supposed to feed yourself at some point.”

It was true. A clear exception to the no indoor dining rule. Spock might have been overthinking it. He’d been overthinking a lot these past weeks.

Jim opened his laptop once more. Spock couldn’t help but notice just how interested Jim looked while reading the words on the screen.

They served about 4 people in 2 hours. All the while Jim was still focused on the text before him. Spock decided it was time to change the music so he walked over to their record player and looked through the options.

“Oh my god,” Jim whispered.

“What,” Spock glanced back.

“Nothing!”

Jim shut his laptop. “We need hype. None of our vinyl is hype.” He grabbed his phone and connected the Bluetooth. “Something hype.”

Spock sighed, relenting to his coworker’s persistence. He didn’t really like all the music that Jim listened to, but if it kept him happy…

Except for this. Anything but this.

_A ella le gusta la gasolina (Dame más gasolina)_

_Cómo le encanta la gasolina (Dame más gasolina)_

Jim started dancing around the shop as he checked for anything remotely interesting to do. He already cleaned all the windows and dusted the vents.

“Jim.”

“Oh come on Spock, this song is fun!”

“This song is stupid.”

He swayed his hips while walking towards Spock. “You hate fun.”

“I don’t hate fun. I just hate this song.”

_Luce tan bien que hasta la sombra le combina_

_Asesina, me domina_

“Then what do you like?” Jim pulled out his phone. “Something hype.”

Spock sighed. “No Jim, I don’t want to ruin your fun. Listen to whatever.”

“Seriously, go through my phone. I can go back to reading porn.”

Jim slid his phone across the counter as he finished his sentence. Spock had his hand over the device while he stared intently at his coworker. Jim only stared back in response. He knew what he said. He definitely knew what he said, the question was whether or not Spock realized it too.

_A ella le gusta la gasolina (Dame más gasolina)_

_Cómo le encanta la gasolina (Dame más gasolina)_

“I don’t expect a lot of normal from you Jim, but reading porn at work is something entirely new.”

“I’m bored and at least reading someone getting explicitly attacked by tent-“

“I do not need to know your kinks, thanks.” Spock slid Jim’s phone back to him. He pulled out his own and started texting.

“Oh god, please don’t tell the rest of the staff.”

“I’m posting a plea to twitter so I don’t have to deal with,” Spock furrowed his brows and waved his hand, “THIS for the next 5 hours.”

Jim started dancing once more. Even more hip swaying than previous. “Aw babe you don’t wanna deal with THIS, all day?”

_Tenemos tú y yo algo pendiente_

_Tú me debes algo y lo sabe'_

_Conmigo ella se pierde_

“I do not need to deal with 5 hours of your fake flirting.” Spock grabbed another cup of coffee and exited the store. He sat down on the curb, immersing himself in the shitstorm of the twitter sphere.

Jim followed. At least it wasn’t raining. Cold, dreary, black clouds and pockets of blue. “Okay so I won’t fake flirt. But what about 5 hours of real flirting and seeing what kind of Frankenstein coffee we can make before one of us has to stop due to rapid heart beat?”

“There’s a difference between your fake flirting and your real flirting?”

“Oh yeah! Come back inside and you’ll find out.”

Spock followed Jim back into the the shop. Maybe 5 hours of this wouldn’t be too bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New restrictions means it's been VERY slow at work. So I took some of the things that happened at work yesterday and turned it into this.  
> Yes, we did play Gasolina. Yes I did read Spirk at work. Yesterday devolved into desperation we just started blasting The Beastie Boys by the end of the day. 
> 
> 4 weeks. Just. 4 weeks of this. At the very least!!


	12. The One Where it's Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim ends up working Christmas with Spock at the coffee shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas. 
> 
> You'll be pleased to know. There is no technical coffee mumbo jumbo in this chapter!

A merry fucking Christmas this was. When they got the message that they’d be open this year there was a furor amongst the employees. The volunteer sheet that hung on the wall for a month was empty. Right up until the 20th.

Jim sluggishly walked into the back office and sat at the desk. It was a rough night of phone tag. He sighed and looked up at the wall. The blank sheet might as well save him from a lonely day.

He scrawled his name on the first line.

Nyota asked if he was okay. Jim shrugged, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Before anyone could say anything his attitude changed instantly. He was cheery, chatting with a customer about holiday plans.

When Spock finished his shift an hour later, he grabbed his jacket and noticed the volunteer sheet. Empty until Jim got here. Something must of happened. He did sound defeated.

Before Spock left, he signed his name on the second line.

Open to close. Eight hours. Just the two of them. Spock unlocked the door so they could start their opening tasks. Usually Jim was alight with energy, but today he merely fast-tracked to the hooks in the back room and hung up his jacket.

Spock wanted to speak up, but he thought it was too early to try. Jim was clearly miserable and he didn’t want to make it worse, but the curiosity plagued him.

They saw five customers two hours into their shift. Respectable. They tipped well, made their snotty remarks, and went off with their coffees in hand, back to the merry fantasy land of a perfect day spent with family.

A woman came through the door and she stopped halfway before fully approaching the counter to order. Her double breasted plaid peacoat was coated with snow. Her red rain boots created puddles on the hardwood.

“It’s Christmas, why are you guys open?”

Jim had enough.

“Because you’re here standing in my store? If you’re gonna ask me this, then maybe you should rethink your own actions and stay the fuck home.”

The woman gaped at Jim. She turned to Spock who looked back at Jim and then the woman once more.

“To be fair miss,” he folded his arms. “My friend makes a pretty good point. Why are YOU here if you’re wondering why WE’RE here?”

While storming back out of the store she screamed something about calling the manager. Spock didn’t care, he was more or less preoccupied with wondering where the dry mop was.

“Spock,” Jim’s voice trembled.

“Don’t worry,” he sighed. “I’ll let it slide this one time.”

He fumbled about in the utility closet. There was no way they put that dry mop in storage. It was too useful. Spock poked his head around the corner to check on Jim. It was a sight he wasn’t fully prepared to deal with.

His younger counterpart was sniffling, and rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater. His back turned to him.

“Hey,” he approached carefully, “you’re not in trouble or anything. I won’t say a word and if they come calling again I’ll back you up.”

Jim shuddered, trying to stop the flow of tears. “No, it’s…it’s not that. I mean, I’m sorry for being mean to them, but—“

“Do you wanna take a break? It’s pretty manageable out here.”

He shook his head.

“You’ve been acting weird all week.” Spock poured a glass of water, handing it to Jim who gladly took it. “You okay?”

“No. I guess I’m not.”

Jim finished the water. He wiped his face once more. The crying stopped but the emptiness and the anger wouldn’t leave.

“I had a fight with my mom last week. Worse because most of it was through text. She wants me to forgive someone. Forgive an abuser. I mean, you wouldn’t forgive someone who beat your ass every time they looked at you, right?”

Spock’s eyes widened, blind sighted by the revelation. He had no experience with this sort of issue. How could he effectively offer his support?

“Forgiveness…is…a difficult subject. I don’t object to your feelings about your situation though. You can’t control how you feel.”

“Good, cause I feel like he’s a fucking piece of shit. I don’t want any obligation of celebrating Christmas with him. I never want to see his face again. So when my mom brought this whole forgiveness thing up, I tried to tell her. We fought, and then I told her to forget it I’m not flying out this year.”

Jim pulled out his phone, “I had boarding passes and everything! And then last week, 10 minutes before one of my shifts I get an email saying my booked flights were cancelled. She fucking cancelled the flights. Dude, I was supposed to have a great Christmas this year. An actual Christmas where I’d fly home for once. It just…crumbled.”

At least Spock knew what it was like to have a fight with a parent. Compared to Jim’s situation his arguments seemed fairly frivolous. Pointless and shallow. Spock tried to put his heart into every espresso shot he pulled, but it faltered and focused on Jim.

He thought it was hopeless until one of their regulars walked into the shop.

“Merry Fucking Christmas,” the man yelled in a most overtly exaggerated happy tone he could muster up.

“Ah, hello Leonard.” Spock had already poured the man a cup of drip and he added a doppio on the side.

“Where’s the kid? He said he was working today. I wanted to drop by while on my tipping rounds. Check in on you lot.”

“He’s on lunch,” Spock dropped his voice. “Leonard, are you busy today?”

He frowned. “No I’m not fucking busy, why would I be here if I was?”

“I need you to do a huge favor. And I will pay anything it costs you.”

* * *

It was a half hour before closing, and the two had a much better shift following Jim’s lunch. He was still slightly distracted but at least he started talking about coffee science once more. It was something Spock adored about Jim, he was truly interested in coffee and wanted to share his interest with everyone.

“Hey,” Jim leaned against the counter. “Thank you for letting me vent. And uh, thank you for signing up to work Christmas with me.”

“You’re welcome. I felt as though if you were willing to work, then I could join you.”

“Yeah?”

“I enjoy working with you.”

“Hey, same.”

Jim blushed. He tried hiding his face, but it was too late. Spock smiled in return but didn’t say anything. Jim was stressed out as it was, he didn’t need to add in more emotions.

They had one last customer before their slated 3 pm closing. They ordered 10 beverages, and tipped 10 dollars for every one of them. It was much better than having an entitled woman asking why they were open in the first place.

Spock had Jim count down the tills while he ushered Leonard through the front door. He arranged a table where Leonard set up plates and silverware.

“I hope I didn’t inconvenience you,” Spock whispered.

“This is honestly the best idea you’ve come up with since you told me to stop bothering you all those years ago.”

“Clearly you’re taking that advice.”

“Oh every day.”

Jim walked out to the lobby. He was about to announce that he finished counting all the money and that it was properly locked away.

“Bones!” He ran out to give him a hug. “Shit, I thought you forgot about us!”

“You really think I’d forget about my friends? I’ve got nothing to do on this shit for brains holiday. So, at Spock’s request I made us all dinner.”

He bit his lip. He really wanted to start crying again. It took all his strength to keep his voice even. “Spock, for real?”

“It may not be the family you were thinking of, but I think Christmas dinner with family seems to be the only rational conclusion to this shift.”

Leonard pulled out a bottle of rum, “I know you guys have eggnog; let’s steam some and open this fucker up.”

Spock steamed up eggnog for each of them. Bones merrily poured the rum into the ceramic cups. They each took a large gulp and portioned out Leonard’s meal: Beef stew, skillet cornbread, and short-notice peach cobbler.

The lobby of their coffee shop had never held as dear a memory as this. Jim felt like he was back home in Iowa, where the bright glow of the dinning room couldn’t obscure the blackness outside and the snow piling on the ground. He shared stories with Leonard and Spock like he’d share stories with his mom.

He was glad he chose to walk into this shop one day and ask for a job. He was glad he met Spock and became friends with the local Scrooge he nicknamed Bones.

“Merry Christmas Jim,” Leonard rose his glass. “This is honestly the best one I’ve had in years.

“Likewise,” Spock rose his own glass.

“Thank you. Thank you both so much.”

Instead of completing the toast, Jim wrapped an arm around them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a boss whose only family was their husband and those they worked with. So they always worked Christmas with each other, happy to spend time with those they loved being around. Coffee is very weird like that. It's a vehicle for connections, for traditional and found families alike. I'm blessed to have made the friendships I have because of coffee!


End file.
